Safe Schools Somerville

03/26/2023

03/26/2023

03/20/2023

Join us TONIGHT at 5:30pm at Cambridge City Hall to continue the fight for justice for Faisal! For over two months, Cambridge students and community members have been demanding that the City:

🔺Release the names of the officers who murdered Faisal
🔺Release the unredacted police report of the incident
🔺Fire all the officers immediately
🔺Prosecute the officers involved to the full extent of the law.

And the increasing pressure on the City has worked! Tomorrow, we meet with the City to discuss the movement's demands. Let's celebrate how far the pressure of the movement has gotten us, and let the City know that we won't stop until we get full justice for Faisal!

03/07/2023

Last night we won a HUGE VICTORY in Somerville!!! After years of public pressure from Safe Schools Somerville members, the Somerville School Committee UNANIMOUSLY voted to adopt policy recommendations that would permanently remove police from Somerville Public Schools!! The four recommendations came from the Policing Subcommittee and were: police will NOT be stationed in the school building, the reasons for calling the police will be restricted to the states 2020 model MOU, police are precluded from relationship building with youth or intervening in student fights at school, and no school money will fund police! Thank you to all Safe Schools Somerville members (formerly Justice for Flavia), the parents, students, alumni and educators that spoke up over the years calling for change. From meetings with two different Somerville Mayors and two different Superintendents, countless school committee meetings, marches, rally’s, letters, and countless other community actions…your voices & support have made a big impact for Somerville. Safe Schools Somerville formed after the SPS called police on Flavia Parea’s then 6 year old black and latino son, back in 2019. So most of all, thank you to Flavia Perea for courageously speaking out, sharing your story, and making space for this change in Somerville. Now how about an apology?!?!?

01/31/2023

Yesterday, in partnership with BANE (Bangladesh Association of New England), we organized a mass mobilization in support of at Somerville High. Over 400 people gathered together, united in action, in song, in grief, and in community. After the rally we took to the streets to honor a life stolen and to demand accountability and change from the police. One contingent marched down to the Mystic Mural where Arif’s image is painted and held a vigil. Simultaneously Safe Schools Somerville, in partnership with PSL Boston - Party for Socialism and Liberation and Bangladesh Association of New England - BANE and the Boston South Asian Coalition led another contingent of hundreds of people on a march to the Cambridge Police Department to deliver a letter listing our demands to Commissioner Elow. The demands are as follows:

Accountability
-Release the names of the cops who killed Arif Faisal and the unredacted police report
-Immediately fire, indict, convict the killer cops
Systemic Change
-Fully fund a robust alternative emergency response program, separate from the police
-Disarm and demilitarize the police
-Reallocate funds away from the police and invest in community supports and safety

01/23/2023

Please share & join these events!

01/10/2023

We are writing to share the tragic news of police violence visiting our community.
Sayed Arif Faisal - Somerville High School 2020 graduate, Enroot Scholar, Welcome Project youth interpreter, Mystic Mural project participant, and current student at UMass Boston - was murdered by the Cambridge Police this past Wednesday night.
Arif was a product of Somerville and Somerville Public Schools, and we send our deepest condolences to his family in the face of this senseless tragedy. We stand in solidarity with Arif’s family & community and demand answers to this senseless tragedy. A mental health crisis should not be a death sentence.
Thank you to those who were able to attend todays rally at Cambridge City Hall to support his family as they call for justice and accountability.
A go fund me page has been set up to support Arif's family, as he was an only child. Please give generously. We have linked the go fund me in the comments.
In solidarity,
Safe Schools Somerville

11/09/2022

🗣WE NEED YOUR VOICE! Come Testify!

The School Committee and the Policing Sub-Committee are currently deciding on a permanent policy around the role of Police in the Somerville Schools. This discussion would not be happening without the continued advocacy of Safe Schools Somerville / Justice for Flavia members! The School Committee plans to vote on a new proposal by January, and pass that on to the City for budgeting. (We think The People’s MOU would be a good plan!) School district leaders are wrapping up a process of public input with a Public Forum on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14th on Zoom.

We need everyone who believes in restorative justice and alternatives to police in schools to testify!

Will you volunteer to speak up for safe schools in Somerville? Click the link below to let us know you want to volunteer to speak or DM us to connect on talking points! 🗣

11/06/2022

Hi friends! We are excited to announce our new name: Safe Schools Somerville!

Justice For Flavia” first came together after the Argenziano school called the police on Flavia’s 6 year old son.

Because this is an issue bigger than one mother, one child, and one school, we’ve decided to formally recognize this with a name change, and a renewed commitment to school safety via our platform:

- Remove police from SPS
- District wide restorative justice program
- Anti-racism and implicit bias training
- independent equality audit of SPS

We hope you can join us in our efforts to make Somerville schools safe for all children!